Back To Career News

Here’s What the Gender Pay Gap Looks Like in Every State

Topics: Data & Research

There is more than one way to look at the gender pay gap in America. There is the uncontrolled gender pay gap, which compares all working men to all working women. And then there is the controlled gender pay gap, which compares men and women in similar jobs, with similar education and experience, in the same location. For the sake of being as realistic as possible, today we’re going to focus on the controlled gap, as it paints a more accurate picture of what gender pay inequality looks like across America.

Controlled Gender Pay Gap By State

4 - States

The Worst States for Equal Pay

PayScale’s new report, Inside the Gender Pay Gap, shows that in all 50 states, women earn less than men. But there are certainly states that have a more severe gender pay gap than others. For example, women who live in Louisiana face the biggest controlled gap at -7.4 percent, followed by Alabama at -7.1 percent, and finally West Virginia at -6.5 percent.

  • Louisiana, -7.4% gender pay gap
  • Alabama, -7.1% gender pay gap
  • West Virginia, -6.5% gender pay gap
  • Oklahoma, -5.1% gender pay gap
  • Iowa, -4.8% gender pay gap
  • Wyoming, -4.8% gender pay gap

The Best States for Equal Pay

There are a handful of states where women slightly earn more than men, according to the controlled data. However, that’s not much to celebrate. One reason for the discrepancy between the controlled and uncontrolled data is that women across the United States are promoted less often, and are thus less likely to hold leadership and management-level positions. With that being said, here are the least terrible states for women in terms of equal pay.

  • Connecticut, +1.6% gender pay gap
  • Vermont, + 0.6% gender pay gap
  • District of Columbia, + 0.5% gender pay gap
  • Rhode Island, +0.2% gender pay gap

Tell Us What You Think!

Do You Know What You're Worth?

Do you live in a state with a large gender pay gap? We want to hear from you! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter!

Featured Image Credit: Alliya23/Getty Images


Leave a Reply

avatar
  Subscribe  
Notify of
What Am I Worth?

What your skills are worth in the job market is constantly changing.